Chinese firm sucked into row over land on which it is setting up Sh20bn complex


Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) International has been sucked into a 20-year legal battle over the ownership of part of the land where it is putting up a Sh20 billion complex in Westlands, Nairobi.

John Gathumbi, who is seeking to stop the construction, has claimed ownership of a one-and-a-half acre plot within the 47-storey project (on about 7 acres), which he alleges he inherited from employer Abdul Raoof Sheikh in 1982 as compensation for incapacitation he suffered following a road accident, which left him confined to a wheelchair.

Mr Gathumbi has been in a protracted legal battle with the deceased’s brothers since 1997. He has now sued Avic International Real Estate Kenya Ltd alongside Mr Raoof brothers Abdul Waheed and Abul Hameed, the principal registrar of government land and the attorney-general in a fresh suit before the Environment and Land Division court in Nairobi.

He wants the court to suspend the ongoing construction and any other transaction related to the land pending the hearing and determination of the case.

According to the court documents, Mr Gathumbi claims there is fear that property L.R Number 209/73/6 could be transferred to AVIC International by Mr Raoof’s brothers in what he describes as intended to defeat the suit.

Business Daily

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